This cartoon is another version of the theme that Republican nominee James Blaine’s hopes for the presidency will be destroyed by his own record of corruption and controversial policies. Here, he is a rat about to be squashed by the weight of his involvement in the Little Rock and Mulligan Letters scandal while speaker of the house, and his “Guano Statesmanship.” The latter refers to Blaine’s role in the War of the Pacific during his brief tenure as secretary of state (May-December 1881). He blamed Great Britain for arming and agitating Chile, and urged the U.S. to provide financial aid to Peru. Critics charged that Blaine was motivated by personal interest, having secret investments in Peruvian guano and nitrates. A later Congressional investigation was unable to prove the charges. Senator John Logan, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, appears as the tail on Blaine’s rat.